NEBULA

By Marisa Mockery

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Author's note: Hello everyone! Welcome to Nebula! I began writing this story nine years ago, so its setting is not the current arc of the anime but the Sinnoh arc. This story is rated PG-13 due to dark tones, and its maps are based off of the games, not the anime; however, it contains many anime characters, and is not a game-based story. Please enjoy!

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CHAPTER ONE

— — — — — —

As Tony clip-clopped down the road, the blaze of his bright blue mane dampened due to his growing exhaustion, his twelve-year-old rider tried her hardest to ignore the petite Espeon dancing between his ears. Unlike most Espeons, this creature had neon green tabby stripes running all over her deep purple body, and wore a wide, mischievous smile on her face. However, the blue-haired girl couldn't see it as she kept her eyes firmly trained on Tony's mane.

"C'mon, Tony," she muttered. "Stay focused. Nothing's there."

Except me. The Espeon did a backflip, balancing herself on the tip of one of the Ponyta's ears. Her three-pronged tail waved high in the air as a counterweight. Tony didn't notice.

Hey Celeste, look!

"Shut up," the girl whispered, and kept her gaze on Tony's mane.

Hey, Celeste! Celeste! Look at me! I'm—

"Shut up!" Celeste snarled, and batted at the Espeon. The creature dodged it easily, and jumped over the girl's head to land on Tony's rump.

"Celeste…? Are you okay?"

Celeste whirled, and saw her sister's Rapidash trot up beside her, gray mane and tail streaming behind him. She looked up a little higher and saw her sister seated on his back, her brown eyes filled with worry.

"Who were you talking to, Cellie?"

"No one. Tony. No one. Are we going to camp soon?"

"Celeste…" The teenager absentmindedly grabbed the minimized Friend Ball that was attached to a chain around her neck and began to play with it. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I think there's a fire pit over there!" Celeste yelled, kicking Tony's sides. Pina groaned.

"Fine. But you're not getting out of this!"

The elder followed the younger, who had already found the abandoned fire pit. "See? I was right," she said. "We need wood though."

"I…guess I'll get some," said Pina. "You rub down Tony."

"Okay." Celeste watched as Pina cantered off. Then she sighed in relief and dismounted. For a little while, at least, she could relax.

You used to like it when I play tricks, the Espeon accused. She rolled down Tony's tail as Celeste pulled off his saddle, cartwheeling as she hit the ground. You always laughed—

"Shut up, Espy! Go away!" She pulled off Tony's bridle, a little too roughly. Tony snorted. "Sorry, Tony. I'll get your nosebag. Unless you want to graze tonight." Tony bumped his head against her shoulder and lowered his head to the grass surrounding them.

Why don't you like my tricks anymore? Espy pestered. She stood on her hind legs, and pawed at the hem of Celeste's dress. Celeste glared, then trained her eyes back on Tony.

You've changed—

"Of course I have! I'm a Pokémon trainer, I've already got a badge! And you're not real!"

Espy snorted. That badge won't keep Zammy away.

"Shut up! Go away! Tony's real! You aren't!" Celeste snatched a large brush from her bag and walked over to Tony. "See? I'm touching him! He's real!"

Espy said nothing. Celeste turned around. The creature was gone.

"Of course," she muttered, but focused on rubbing down her Ponyta, the sun setting beyond the thick forest trees behind her.

— — — — — —

"No thanks," Celeste said shortly when Pina passed her a bowl of soup. Pina shoved it into her hands anyway.

"You can't take your meds on an empty stomach. Eat."

Celeste sighed. "Sorry. I'm just…not really hungry." She forced herself to eat a few mouthfuls, until Pina relaxed. There was silence as the sisters ate—though they did not look much like sisters. Pina, older by seven years, wore practical camouflage cargo pants, a sleeveless black turtleneck, and hiking boots. Her only accessories were a couple of green barrettes holding back long brown hair and the Friend Ball necklace around her neck. Celeste, far more colorful, had deep blue eyes and wavy cerulean hair that draped behind her back. Today she'd chosen to wear a crimson sundress with black and white hearts scattered across in a nice print, finishing with black leggings and scarlet riding boots. Her saddlebags were packed with many more outfits, unlike her rather more seasoned sister, who didn't bother to waste space on extra clothes.

"So I think another day's riding'll get us out of Eterna Forest," Pina said, then spooned up another mouthful of canned soup. "Then we can sleep in proper beds and battle Gardenia. Don't worry, with Dashing and Tony she'll be a piece of cake."

"She specializes in grass, right?" Celeste asked. Pina nodded.

"I took her down easy last time. It won't be hard for you."

"Yeah…"

Celeste looked at her sister and tried not to gasp. Espy was back, only now she sat cheerfully on Pina's head, licking a paw to wash her face. When she caught Celeste's eye, she smiled widely. Celeste looked away.

"Can I have my medicine, please?"

Pina cocked her head, nearly dislodging the Espeon sitting on it. Espy waved her paws comedically, then rolled down Pina's arm, only to land on all four feet, a smirk on her face. Pina didn't notice. "It's a little early, isn't it? I know it makes you sleepy—"

"Can I have my medicine, please?"

Pina hesitated, then nodded. "Right." She got up and walked over to one of her saddlebags. She pulled out a medicine counter and a bottle of water, then handed both to Celeste. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Celeste downed the handful of pills, then wiped her mouth.

It isn't working, Celeste, whispered a deep, almost hypnotic voice. Celeste whirled, but saw nothing.

"Shut up," she whispered when Pina got up to return the medicine box to its place. The deep voice laughed. Celeste shuddered.

Do you think Pina would mind if I finish off her soup? Espy asked, leaning over Pina's bowl.

"Get away from there!" Celeste hissed. The Espeon grinned and did a handstand on the edge of the bowl. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" asked Pina, glancing at Celeste, her eyes now full of worry.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Celeste muttered. Espy jumped off the bowl and in a series of flips landed at Celeste's side. Celeste tried not to look as Espy reached up and tapped a paw against her shoulder.

"Cellie?" Pina's voice was very soft, very stable, but her hand kept going up to play with the Friend Ball on her necklace. "Cellie, who were you talking to?"

"No one!" Celeste shoved Espy off, who chuckled.

Liar, liar, pants on fire…wouldn't it be a good idea if you did that…hissed the deep voice. Look at that nice fire there…

Celeste covered her heads with her hands, no longer caring what Pina thought. "I can't hear you!"

I can hear you…

"Celeste!" Pina jumped up, and reached for her sister. "Celeste, what's wrong?!"

"Nothing! I'm fine! Go away!"

"Right. Right." Pina took a step back, and pulled a cellphone out of her pocket. She hit a speed dial button. "Mom…please…pick up…"

— — — — — —

"Pina? Pina Piazzi?"

Fourteen-year-old Pina, admiring the shine as light glinted off of all eight badges carefully nestled in their case, glanced up.

"Are my Pokémon ready?"

"Not quite. You have a phone call from your mother, on terminal four."

"Thank you," Pina said, and walked over to the phone. She picked up the handle, and leaned it on her right shoulder, pinning it between her ear and shoulder blade.

"Hi, Mom," she greeted with a smile as she flipped the video feed on. "Why'ja call? To congratulate me? I didn't know you knew I got the Beacon Badge." She lifted up the badge case. "I can go to the Lily of the Valley Conference now!"

"Oh. I…about that. I…" There was a catch in her mother's voice. In the video screen, Pina saw her eyes moisten. "I'm…I'm so sorry, honey. But I need you to come home."

Pina's eyes widened, and she dropped the badge case in shock. The badges spilled out and scattered across the floor. "W-what?! But—Mom—I'm—the Conference! It's—you can't be serious!"

"I'm sorry, honey, but I need you. It's…Celeste. I can't…she's not well, Pina…"

"So she caught a, a, a cold and that means—"

"It's worse than a cold, Proserpina."

Pina sat up straight in her chair. Her mother never used her full name. Pina stared hard at the woman's face, and noticed for the first time the worry lines that crisscrossed it, and the fear that lay hidden beneath her blue-eyed gaze. Pina had never seen her mother look so tired in her life.

"But…Dad—"

"Your dad isn't here," her mother sniffed. "I wouldn't be asking you to come back if it wasn't important. You know how much I've always supported you."

"I…I know." Pina sighed. "It won't be for long, will it?"

"No, of course not. Just until Celeste gets better."

Pina sighed. "Okay. I…guess I could challenge the League next year." She bent down and picked up the dropped badges and case, then lifted them to show her mother. "I won all these before so I can do it again, right?"

Her mother's face exploded into an expression of relief. "Thank you, Pina."

"It's okay. It's just for a little while anyway."

But 'a little while' would translate into five horribly turbulent years.

— — — — — —

As she watched her sister start to argue with herself, Pina could only listen to the phone ring.

"C'mon…aw, Mom, you said…"

"Hello!"

"Mom! Mom, Celeste's—"

"Thank you for calling Ceres' Shiny Ranch! I'm sorry I can't take your phone call right now, but please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"

BEEP.

"ARGH! Mom, Celeste's hallucinating again! We're in Eterna Forest! Call me back!" Pina hung up and roughly shoved the phone back into her pocket. She closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to her sister, one hand playing with the Friend Ball necklace nervously. She took a deep breath.

"Celeste?" she said in a soft, calm tone, completely opposite of how she'd sounded on the phone. "Celeste, who's with you right now?"

"I—I—nobody. There's no one here. I don't—there's no one. Because, because, I—shut up! I have a badge! I'm a Pokémon trainer! I don't have to listen to you!" Celeste crouched down on the ground, her hands clamped over her ears.

"Okay, good, I'm glad nobody's here. I'm glad you know that." She carefully walked to her discarded pokéball belt, and snatched the one closest to her hand. "Listen, I'm going to bring out Dashing, okay? And we're going to ride on him and go to that Pokémon Center we passed by a while back, okay? Are you up for that?"

"Go away. Leave me alone. I said leave me alone!"

"Dashing!" Pina cried, and threw the pokéball. Out came her prize Rapidash stallion, tossing his head as his diamond hooves crashed sparks in the dirt. "Okay, Celeste, just stay there, I'll come to you. We're just going to leave our things here. Dashing, kneel." The unicorn complied as Pina edged around the fire pit and reached for Celeste's arm. "See, he's all ready for you, Cellie. Don't worry, what you're seeing, it's not real. Just let me help you, and you'll be fi—"

But Celeste stared past her shoulder, at something Pina couldn't see. Her eyes widened in fear.

"Celeste! It isn't real!"

Celeste turned and fled.

— — — — — —

Run, run, as fast as you can. The voice, deep and hypnotic, sounded amused. You'll never outrun me…

Keep running! Keep running! I'm right behind! shrieked a sharp, metallic voice. Celeste whimpered, but didn't turn around, instead pushing herself into a sprint. Because…it was them. And she couldn't let them catch her…

She dodged back and forth, heading deeper and deeper in the forest, heedless of any scratches the bushes and lower branches from overhanging trees gave her. They were nothing, compared to the fiends behind—

"Celeste! Celeste!" something cried, and Celeste heard the pounding of hooves.

No! Even Tony was with them!

"Traitor!" she screamed, darting between the trees to make it difficult for the Ponyta to follow her. It mattered not one whit that the voice calling out was female, and Tony was male. She'd heard much stranger things in her life.

"Celeste, stop!" Tony cried.

Yes, stop, the deep voice cajoled. It's been such a long time. We want to say hello.

"Go away!" Celeste howled, and plunged on, terrified.

Because the two voices were Zammy and Meta. And if they caught her…

"Cellie! Stop running! Please!" Tony begged behind her, but Celeste ignored him. He was the least of her problems…

Wait. She'd hidden from Zammy and Meta before. Perhaps…

She ducked between another set of trees, then down into a deep, thorn-filled brush where she knew clunky Meta couldn't follow. She crawled deep in, close to the dirt, shivering, ignoring the thorns as they dug into her flesh. She waited to hear Zammy or Meta's taunting, but heard nothing. After a few moments of peace, Celeste heaved a sigh of relief. She lost them….

A monster's silhouette walked into the clearing before her. It was horrible—a perverted centaur, tall, with both a unicorn's head and a woman's torso, its whole body on fire. Celeste cowered and clung to the ground, perfectly still.

"Celeste! Celeste!" the creature yelled. Celeste stayed silent. She'd only just lost Zammy and Meta, she couldn't let this monstrosity get her!

"Celeste! It's Pina! Come out!"

Pina? Celeste stared in shock. No. That couldn't be Pina. Pina wasn't a horse monster. But…but…

Something rustled in the bushes behind the other side of the clearing.

"Cellie, wait!" the monster gasped. Its unicorn head whinnied, and it galloped off in the direction of the rustling. Celeste gave a sigh of relief, but waited until the sound of the centaur's hooves faded away into the distance.

"Okay," she said to herself, crawling out of the bramble. Droplets of blood dribbled from several thorn punctures, but she ignored it. "I need to find a better place to hide—"

"Want to know a real good place to hide?" asked a low, sultry voice behind her. Celeste whirled around, searching for the culprit. A bad Pokémon, like Zammy? Another monster like the centaur? Or perhaps—

"I'm right here," said the voice, amused. Celeste finally saw a womanly figure walk from behind two trees.

She was tall, human-shaped, and sparkled silver in the moonlight. Her shapely legs shone in silvery, intricate designs, and below a black belt a wave of silver cascaded around and down curvy hips like a scaled waterfall. A band of silver wrapped around her large breasts. She lifted her right arm; it glittered with more intricate, silvery jewelry. The other was covered by a silvery scaled sleeve that flared widely at the wrist; however, her hand appeared to only have three digits, and all ended with claws. Three long, sharp leaves protruded from her elbow, piercing through the sleeve easily. And from her back, wrapped around her silvery feet, was…

Celeste stepped back, shaking. This was another monster.

Humans didn't have Vaporeon tails that waved in the moonlight.

"My name is Neptune," the young woman said, brushing a strand of curly green hair behind her ear to join the rest of her curly mane. "I can help you."

"No you can't," Celeste said, taking another step back. "You're a monster."

The woman sighed. "It's all right, love. You'll change your mind."

She lifted up the perverted hand previously covered by the sleeve. The tips of her claws glowed, and a pile of dust formed in her small, green palm.

"Sleep now," the woman whispered, and blew a pile of powder at Celeste.

Sleep Powder! Sleep Powder! Run! Espy screamed suddenly. However, it was too late. Celeste collapsed against the ground, her eyes closed.

"Get her into the van," Neptune snapped. A boy in a simple silver tunic, black leggings, and short silver boots dropped out of a tree and picked the girl up. His arms were far more muscular than looked reasonable for a boy his age, and appeared grayish in color. As he picked up the girl, red veins running down his arms became visible. He quickly placed the girl into the back of a van, then glanced at Neptune for further instructions.

"They had Pokémon, I'm sure. You get the others set up. I'll go after their campsite."

The boy nodded. "Yes, Neptune."

— — — — — —

"Celeste! Celeste! Answer me! CELESTE!" Pina screamed into the woods desperately. Her head whipped back and forth, scanning the forest for any sign of her sister. She couldn't stand this. Before if Celeste ran it was on the ranch, and Pina had the help of her mother and the ranchhands to find her. When they had finally found a medicine cocktail that worked, Celeste stopped running entirely. But now the medicines weren't working. And Celeste was running. And Pina was alone…

"Celeste! Come out! It's Pina! Please! I won't hurt you—"

Then she saw the fire.

There were no options left. Nothing worked. Until Zammy told her how to get rid of them all…

"Celeste! No! Stop!" Pina screamed, and kicked Dashing's sides. The Rapidash squealed and charged at the light. He, too, remembered Celeste's attempt at self-immolation…

Dashing arrived at the fire in less than a moment, hooves kicking up sparks in a cloud of dust. Already horrible images were burning in Pina's imagination.

The stench of burnt hair and flesh still stank the halls of her memory…

"Who the hell are you?"

Pina looked down and saw a teenager—perhaps her age, or a little younger—sitting on a sleeping bag next to the fire, wearing a long sleeved white shirt and jeans, his travel bag and pokéball belt next to him. He had lavender hair that was almost (but not quite) shoulder length, and a firm, calm gaze. In his hands was an empty plate, in front of him a frying pan with some sort of stir fry inside.

"I'm—my name is Pina," Pina answered, momentarily befuddled. "Have you seen a girl running around here? She'd be wearing a red dress, has blue hair, kinda short?"

"Haven't seen anything like that," the teenager said firmly. He pulled the frying pan out of the fire, and dropped its contents onto a plate. "Now, d'you mind? I just made dinner."

"I…yes, I do!" Pina wailed. "She's my sister! She's schizophrenic! She'll hurt herself if I can't find her!"

"You should keep looking, then. I'm hungry," the teenager said bluntly.

"She's hallucinating," Pina snapped. "If the voices get to her she'll hurt herself, or worse." She rubbed frustrated tears away from her eyes. "I was supposed to look after her…"

"You didn't do a good job." The boy sighed and ran a hand down his face when he saw Pina's expression. He put down the plate, and stood up. "She's done this before?"

"Yes, but when she ran at home, we had every hand on the ranch looking for her, not just me."

The teen grabbed his pokéball belt. Strapping it around his waist, he pulled one free.

"My Luxio can see through anything," he said, holding the ball. "He'll find your sister, no problem."

"You mean you'll help?!" Pina squealed happily—

Then they heard the roar.

What the roar was, Pina couldn't pin it down. It sort of sounded like the lion-like roar of a Luxray, yet it had the baaing squeal of the sheep-like Ampharos. And both sounded like they were in a little bit of pain.

"What—" Pina began.

"Watch it!" the teen hissed. Pina dismounted quickly, and the two turned toward the new threat. Both watched as the creature stepped into the fire's flickering circle of light.

Pina gasped, and took a step back. Her companion swore under his breath and clutched his pokéball tightly. Both had good reason. The monster before them had the body of a Luxray, the tail of a Seviper, and two heads: one an Ampharos, one a Luxray. The Luxray head growled, and the Ampharos sparked.

"Chimera…" the teen whispered. The monster glared at him, howled, and charged the camp.

"Watch out!" he yelled, and shoved Pina away as he dived to the left. The monster crashed through the fire and tried to slash the young man with its glowing pink snake tail. It reared, and its heavy paws crashed onto the teen's backpack, crushing everything inside. He winced; Pina heard several items snap to pieces. "You're going to pay for that!" he snapped, and threw the pokéball in his hand. He gave Pina a quick glance, then ordered:

"Luxio! Roar!"

"Lux!" the Luxio jumped forward and roared a lion's roar, scaring the monster into retreating a few steps.

"Dashing!" Pina yelled. "Flamethrower!"

Dashing stepped forward and took a deep breath. He then opened his mouth and blew, blasting a beam of fire against the monster. It stumbled back, whining, and the stench of burned fur filled the clearing. Beside her the young man grabbed another pokéball from his belt. As he palmed it, he caught Luxio's eye and jerked his head.

"Again!"

"Dashing, away!" Pina yelled, and Dashing whirled and disappeared just as the Luxio ran up in front of the monster. It roared once more, scaring the monster back another few precious steps.

"Good! Come back!" the boy called, then threw the pokéball in his hand. "Torterra! Your turn!"

"Dashing! Fire Blast!" Pina shouted. Dashing jumped over the newly released Torterra, clearing the Pokémon easily. He took in a deep breath and shot a star-shaped blast of gray fire at the monster, hitting it square across the two heads. Both shrieked in pain. He jumped away just as the boy called out, "Frenzy Plant!"

"Tooooorrrr!" the Torterra cried, and huge brown roots popped out of the ground, pinning the thing to the dirt. It tried to cut the roots with its glowing tail.

"Dashing! Stomp!" Pina cried again. Dashing whinnied, and charged forward as the monster struggled to free itself. He reared once more and, bearing all of his weight into the attack smashed his diamond hooves into the monster's Ampharos head. It screamed in agony. For a moment Pina felt pity for it, until the Luxray head tried to bite Dashing's leg. Dashing danced away just in time for Pina to hear its jaws close with a bone-crushing snap. The teenager shook his head.

"Don't go easy on that thing!" he snapped. "Torterra! Stone Edge!"

For a moment, two rings of blue gathered around the Pokémon, only to turn white when Torterra roared. Huge rocks began to form within the white rings, and Torterra's eyes began to glow.

"Dashing, come back!" Pina yelled, and Dashing dashed to her side in a moment.

"TOOOR!" Torterra screamed. The rocks shot forward, crashing into the monster. It struggled to stand, though this was made more difficult as it was now not only held down by the roots of Frenzy Plant but the boulders from Stone Edge. However, the monster refused to give up. Electricity gathered around the Ampharos' head, and a bolt of lightning shot at Torterra. Torterra simply stood still, and the electricity rooted itself in Torterra's tree-covered back. Torterra roared and shook itself, but showed little damage. Dashing stared at Pina expectantly, and Pina stared at the monster, fingering her Friend Ball necklace nervously. She didn't believe in killing things, even monsters like this; however, if the creature was let loose, it could hurt her, or worse, find and hurt Celeste. She fingered the necklace once again—

Wait.

She plucked the pokéball off of its chain and maximized it. She took a deep breath and, without any fanfare, threw it. It hit the Luxray head on the nose. The monster disappeared in a flash of red, and the web of roots and rocks collapsed without their hostage.

"What—" the teenager beside her began.

"Shhh!" Pina said. Both watched as the Friend Ball rocked once. Twice. Three times.

And clicked.

In hazy, adrenaline-fueled daze, Pina walked forward. She picked up the ball, minimized it, and attached it to her necklace's chain with a soft click.

"Well, Kurt did tell me to use it for a very special Pokémon," she said softly. "But I don't think this is quite what he meant…"

"Son of a…" the teen said softly—in admiration, Pina realized, not anger. He shook his head, muttering something to himself, then turned to his crushed travel bag. He turned it upside down. A pile of broken Potion bottles, wrinkled clothing, and cracked electronics fell out. He sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Right." The lavender-haired teen bent down again and grabbed his abandoned purple jacket. He shoved his hand in a pocket, but whatever he pulled out—Pina couldn't quite see what was in his hand—just made him look a little more moody. "Well, we'll just have to find your sister and get to a Pokémon Center, huh?"

"What?"

"Look, if Chimera is here…well, they were after you, not just your sister." He rubbed his head. "And if they knew I was here, well…I think that was an accident, honestly. But if we don't find your sister within fifteen minutes, we're screwed. They already have her."

"Who? Who's they?!" She paused. "And who are you? I never got your name."

"Me?" He paused, then held out his hand. Pina hesitated, then shook it.

"My name's Paul."

— — — — — —

Celeste has a disease called 'childhood onset schizophrenia,' which affects about every one in 300,000 children in the US. Normally schizophrenia is triggered in a person's teens or twenties, with specific symptoms, but a child gets hit by the disease very differently. Their positive and negative symptoms are much stronger than a typical adult, with occasionally horrific consequences. Celeste's symptoms faded with medication though, and after several years of observation she was finally allowed to go on a Pokemon journey. Unfortunately those medications are no longer effective.